Fire-alarm-telegraph signal-box



UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. GARDINER, OF HAGKENSAGK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GAMEWELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH COMPANY OF NEW YORK.

FlRE-ALARM-TELEGRAPH SIGNAL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,588, dated March 16, 1880.

Application filed June 12, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES M. G'ARDINER, of Hackensack, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire Alarm -Telegraph Signal Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the same.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus containing my invention, and Fig. 2 is an edge view of a detached part of said apparatus, which will be understood by the description which follows.

It is well known that in giving fire-alarm signals by the fire-alarm telegraphs in common use it is essential, in order to avoid confusion, that while a signal is being sent from any signal-box in the line the other boxes in the same line should be automatically disabled from interfering with it by sending signals.

My invention is intended to accomplish this result and it consists in the combination, with the ordinary mechanism of signal-boxes, of a time-movement which is brought into action by the breaking of the circuit for signaling, and whereby the circuit-breaker is shunted and locked out of circuit by the sending of a signal from any other box in the line.

I have represented in the drawings a common form of signaling mechanism which will serve to illustrate my invention; but I do not intend to limit myself to signal-boxes of this precise construction and arrangement.

The apparatus shown consists of a breakcircuit wheel, A, intended to be revolved on its axis for the giving of signals by the stress of a spring, B, acting through a train of wheels,

as shown, with an escapement and fly toregulate the movement. The wheel (1 is one of the train. It has on its side, near its perimeter, an annular flange, a, in which is a notch, into which fits a lug, b,on a swinging lever, c, that is pressed down. into the said flange by a spring, d. The engagement of this lug with said notch holds the train of wheels atrest. When the lever is raised the train is free to revolve, the lug b resting on the said flange, while the wheel 0 makes a revolution, when the lug will fall again into the notch and arrest the movement. The circuit is closed on the teeth of the wheel A by means of two metal springs or fingers, 6, connected respectively with the line-wires 6 c and is broken when the said fingers leave the said teeth. The signaling mechanism is set in motion by means of a lever, a cross-section of which is seen at f, one end of which projects from the door of the signal-box, by depressing which the lever c is thrown up.

D is an electro-magnet placed in the circuit.

A more particular description of this mechanism is unnecessary, as it is well known.

In the upper part of the figure is represented a common clock movement, consisting of a train of wheels driven by a spring and regulated by an escapement and fly. It is intended to act uponthe mechanism of the signal-box in which it is located to shunt the break-wheel .out of the circuit while a signal is being sent from any other box on the line, and to lock the break-wheel in circuit while a signal is being given by its own box.

I will proceed to describe one method of connecting the said time-movement with the signal-box mechanism, whereby said result may be effected.

E is one of the wheels of this time-movement train, which, being behind the front plate of the frame, is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, except where the said plate is broken away near its top. An edge view of it is seen in Fig. 2. In this wheel is an engaging-stud, h, which projects outward from the side face of the wheel near its perimeter.

F is a lever pivoted at 03. At the end of the upper arm of this lever is an engaging-pin, j, which projects inward toward the face of the wheel E in the track of the stud h when the end of the lever F is thrown down, as herein after described. In this lever is another pin or projection, j, arranged to rest on the pcriphery of the wheel E, in which is a notch, .9, into which the said pin may fall.

G is the armature-lever, pivoted at k, to the lower arm of which is fixed the armature Z of the magnet D. The end of the upper arm of this lever is hinged or pivoted at k to the end of the lower arm of F.

m is a spring, which acts to swing the lever into the position shown in the drawings.

The end of the lower arm of G is wedgeshaped, and on the end of the lever c vis a wedge-shaped projection or hook, n. Upon the lever G is fixed a piece of metal, 0, insulated from the said lever.

19 indicates two metal spring-fingers, (being in the same plane, and an edge view being given, only one is seen,) which are separated and insulated from each other, but connected, respectively, with the wires 0 0 They are so arranged that when the lever G is swung into the position seen in the drawings they will be in contact with the metal 0, thereby acting as a switch to shunt the circuit-breaker A out of the circuit, as, when the contact between p and 0 is broken, the current, coming into the box at the binding-screw H, passes on the wires 0 e c and a over the magnet to one of the fingers 6, then across the tooth e of the circuit-breaker, over the other finger e and wire 6, to the hinding-screw H, and thence out of the box; but when contact is made between the finger p and metal 0 the current takes the shorter route through the said fingers over the wires 0 and 0?.

Suppose it is intended to work a closed circuit, the armature I will be drawn to the magnet when the mechanism is at rest. It is evident that then the upper end of the armaturelever F will be thrown down, so that the pin j will stand in the track of the pin it in wheel E, thus holding the time-movement at rest. Then, if a signal is sent from any box on a line, by throwing up the lever 0 the hook 7t on the end of said lever will pass up on the lefthand side of the lower wedge-shaped end, 70 of the lever G, thereby locking said lever in position, so that it cannot swing away from the magnet and bring the metal 0 in contact with the fingers p when the circuit is broken,the lever F being also thereby prevented from moving, and so, the engagement of the pin j with the pin it being preserved, the time-movement in the box sending the signal is held at rest while the signal is being given, and the circuit-breaker of said box is locked in circuit; but in all the other boxes on the line, the instant the circuit is broken, the armatures being liberated from their magnets, the armature-lever Gr swings away from the magnet, bringing the metal piece 0 in contact with the fingers 19, thus shunting out the circuit-breaker from the line. The same action disengages the pins 9 and h,therebyputtinginmotion thetime-movement, and as soon as the wheel E commences to revolve, the pin j in the lever F passes out of the notch 8 onto the periphery of said wheel, thereby locking the said lever, and of consequence the armature-lever G, in position to make contact between the metal piece 0 and fingers 1), thus switching the circuit-breakers out of the circuit and keeping them out while the wheel E is making an entire revolution, and the saidwheel is so timed that a complete fire-alarm signal will be given and the circuit again closed while such revolution of the wheel E is being made, thus effecting a complete and absolute non-interference with the box sending an alarm by any other box on the ,line. When the wheel E in the boxes on the line other than that giving the signal has made an entire revolution, the circuit being then closed, as the signal will have been then completed, the armature in such boxes are then, of course, drawn to the magnets. The upper arm of lever F'is thrown down, it being permitted to do so by the pin j falling into the notch s in wheel E, thus bringing pin j into engagement with pin it and arresting the motion of the time-movement.

If there should be an accidental breaking of thecircuit otherwise than by the circuit-breaker of a signal-box, the time-movements inall the boxes on the line will be of course set in motion; but such motion is arrested when the wheel E shall have made one revolution by the following devices: There is in said wheel E another stud, 71/, near to but alittle farther from the center than the stud h. The arrange- 'ment of the parts is such that when the circuit is broken and the lever G is swung away from the magnet by the recoil of the spring at the force of said spring is only sufficient barely to bring the metal piece 0 and the spring-fingers p in contact, but not to fiex'the said fingers. In this position the pin j in the end of the lever F, while it will be disengaged from the stud h by the breaking of the circuit, thereby setting the time-movement in motion, will yet stand directly in the track of the studh, whereby the wheel E will be stopped upon makin g one revolution, but while it is making that revolution the pin j is carried out of the notch s and rides onto the periphery of said wheel, the fingers 10 being flexed or sprung back to permit such movement, whereby the upper arm of the lever F is forced farther to the left, throwing the pin j outside of the track of the stud 71/, thus leaving the wheel E free to revolve 5 but when the wheel E has made a revolution, so that the pin j comes opposite the notch s in said wheel, the recoil of the fingers 19 will throw the lower arm of lever Gr far enough to the right to bring the pin j down into the track of the stud h, thereby arresting the movement. Then, when the circuit isafterward closed and the armature is drawn to the magnet, while the pin j will thereby be disengaged from the stud h, it will be thrown down into the track and immediately before the stud h, thus holding the time-movement still at rest, until the circuit shall be again broken.

I believe that I am the first to combine with the mechanism of an electro magnetic firealarm signal-box an independent time-movement so connected therewith that it is brought into action by the breaking of the electric circuit, and when so brought into action by the breaking of the circuit otherwise than by the circuit-breaker in its own box acts to lock the said circuit-breaker out of the circuit while a signal is being given. I do not therefore intend to limit my claim to the precise method or devices by which the time-movement is connected with the said mechanism that are shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described. Any other known devices may be employed for accomplishing such connection, whereby the said movement, when set in motion, will act to lock the circuit-breaker in the connected signal-box out of the circuit, or otherwise disable such circuit-breaker from breaking or closing the circuit while a signal is being given by another box on the same line.

So far I have spoken only of operating with what is known as a closed circuitthat is, an arrangement by which the circuit is closed except when a signal is being given; but it is evident that my invention may be applied as Well to a signal-box when used in an open circuit or one always open, except when closed for signaling. Any person skilled in the art will know 110w to adapt it to such open circuit.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an electric firealarm telegraphic signaling mechanism, of an independent time-movement that is adapted to be brought into action by the breaking (or the closing, according as an open or closed circuit is used) of the circuit, and when so brought into action by the breaking (or closing, as the case may be) of the circuit in any signaling mechanism in the circuit other than the one with which it is connected will operate, as described, to lock the circuit-breaker in the latter out of circuit, or otherwise electrically disable it from breaking or closing the circuit while a signal is being given by such other mechanism, all as specified.

2. The combination of the wheel E, provided with the stud h, and the wheel E, provided with the notch s of the time-movement described, the lever F, provided with the pins j and j, the lever G, carrying the armature land metal piece 0, the magnet D, spring m, springfingers p, circuit breaker A in the signaling mechanism described, fingers e, and the linewire connections specified, all as and for the purpose described.

JAMES M. GARDINEE.

Witnesses:

B. S. CLARK, M. F. CLIFTON. 

